WS Chronicle

SALISBURY – Livingstone College has announced an initiative that will forgive the debt of students who attended Livingstone during the spring 2021 academic semester.

The Livingstone College Debt Forgiveness Persistence Initiative (DFPI) will award more than $2.8 million in persistence grants to qualifying students of the spring 2021 semester who have outstanding student account balances. This is in addition to the more than $4 million in need-based student aid Livingstone College already provides from its general operating budget each year.

“The economic hardships created by the COVID-19 virus is unprecedented and has made it extremely difficult for students to pursue their dreams of obtaining a college education during this period of economic uncertainty,” said Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. in a letter to qualifying students. “The population we serve relies heavily on student loans to pay for their college education. Therefore, as we look forward to the fall 2021 academic semester, we would like to remove one of the primary barriers related to persistence – student debt.”

This initiative will enable students to pursue their college education in the absence of student debt, he said. 

The college will utilize the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund to support this critical initiative. 

“Access and affordability must work in tandem,” said Dr. Anthony J. Davis, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Livingstone College. “The population we serve has been significantly impacted by this pandemic. Therefore, we are deploying every resource possible in support of our students and their families.”

To take advantage of this opportunity, students will receive a letter and document from Livingstone College that will require their signature. The document must be signed and returned no later than July 15, 2021.